Folding towel bar



June 16, 1953 G. H. SEVERIN FOLDING TOWEL BAR 2 'SheetsShee.t 1

Filed Oct. 8, 1948 3mm 6. H. SEVERIN,

ATTORNEY June 16, 1953 e. H. SEVERIN FOLDING i TOWEL BAR ZSheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1948 2E wd G.H. S EVIERIN,

ATTORNEY Patented June 16, 1953 ,IUNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING TOWEL BAR Gordon H, Severin, Oklahoma City, Okla. 7 Application October s, 1948, Serial No; 53,537

' This invention relates tofolcling towel bars'and like articles: In one of its'specific aspects it relates to an improved folding rack adapted for,

installation on bathroom or kitchen wall in conjunction with andas part of a Wainscot trim. The invention in another specific aspect relates to a unitary structure readily adapted for acting as arack for holding towels'or other articles, yet easily folded in a compact and completely unobtrusive manner against the wall whenever desired. Foldingracks of various forms have long been used in the household and elsewhere. However, such racks have often been unsightly, cumbersome and unstable, or of such complicated structure as to make their cost prohibitive. In any event, the racks have borne little relationship, either functionally or artistically, to the wall 7 Claims. (Cl. 211-123) structures to which they are attached. Accordingly, there is yet a great need for asimple rack adjusted to modern ideas of-decoration and construction. Such a rack forms the subject of my invention.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved folding rack suitable for'holding washcloths, bath towels, dish towels and the like.

Another object of the-invention is to provide a towel bar or similar article for attachment to a wall, which can be readily folded into a very compact form against the wall so that it protrudes but very little from the wall.

Another object is to provide a towel bar or'the like which is an struction.

integral part of the wall contowel barin closed-and open positions, respec-' tively; mounted as-part' of the Wainscot trim a bathroom. Figure 3 "is a front, or elevation, View of the towel bar, which view is the same in either closed or open position. Figure '4 .is a cross-sectional'view of the bar or rack when closed, taken along a horizontal plane indicated by the line 1 -5. in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a similar cross-sectional View of the rack inthe open position, taken along the same horizontal plane indi-v cated by line 4-4 in Figure 3.. Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical cross-section of the closed rack taken along a vertical plane normal to the length of the rack and indicated by line fi-'6 in Figure 3. Figure 7 is a detail view in horizontal cross-section showinga friction catch which is an alternative construction for catch 58 shown in the Figure 8 is a detail view in horielongated horizontal sheet inetal'channel element of any desired length, which serves both as the actual towel'barwhenthe rack is opened and as -A' further object is to provide'a decorative Wainscot trim for bathroom or kitchen, having a foldingrack forming a part thereof.

-Yet another object is to provide a rackfcon struction wherein a single element forms an article supporting means when the-rack is opened and an enclosing means or housing when the rack A-still further object is to form a'folding -towel bar ina'very simple and economical manner from sheet metal." I

.Another object is to construct a foldingfrack with aminimum'of moving parts, having a simple mode of "operation, and havingperfect rigidity in the open position. I

Further obj ects 'andadvantages of the inven tion'" will be apparent from the accompanying disclosure and discussion.

One preferred modification of my invention is which like numerals are usedto designate like partsthroughout. ---F'igures 1 and 2 show the board,'-linoleum,-or the like.

illustratedin'the accompanying drawings, in

' slotted as described below when the rack is closed the element ill lies tightly .may be provided by end pieces 26 of th trim is fastened to the wall in conventionalmannor, as by nails or screws [3, and may serve to hold the Wainscot if the latter is made of wall-' As shown in Figure 2, when open the bar element I 6 stands out from and parallel with the wall, supported by two sheet 7 metal arms wand is which in the open position, are vertical to' the wall and to the bar, so that a towel?!) and washrag 22, or any other object;v

maybe hung thereupon. Arms [8 and l9are supported at the wall by a channel member or base the back of which is attached directly to the wall and the standing edges of which are -As shown in: Figure 1.

against the walland formsan enclosed-housing for folded arms l8 and i9 and supporting memberM. If desired, visual continuity between element I'll and the other-portions ll of thetrim e same Width as strips '12 and bar It.

In the drawings, numeral iii designates an These end pieces 26 ar also channels but their front surfaces are preferably curved to provide a smooth transition from the ends of channel ii! which jut out from the wall somewhat to the ends of trim l2 which lie close against the wall; the sides or standing edges of the channels 26 are thereby given an essentially triangular shape, the hypotenuse being curved (as shown) or straight as desired. Screws 27 may be used to hold end pieces 26 in place. The entire rack is usually made of sheet metal, such as 24-gauge polished stainless steel or 0.049- inch aluminum sheet.

Particular reference isnow made to Figure 5,

wherein details of the rack in the opened position may be readily seen. Support or base 24 takes the form of an elongated channel having a back portion 28 of slightly less width than channel it, which is fastened to the wall by screws 39.

and'which has integral top and bottom flanges or standing edges 32 (see Figure 6) and 34, respectively, running the entire length and projecting-out from the walla short distance, say onehalf inch. Each of the two standing edges or flanges is provided with two slots, 36 and 38, one being in the left portion and the other being in the right portion of the flange. The slots in the top and bottom flange are opposite each other and in directly analogous positions.

Vertical rod or pin 48 slides in slots 36, and vertical rod or pin 42 slides in slots 38, each rod being provided on each end with rivet or other heads 44, preferably rounded, to hold the rods in the slots. The inner ends of arms 18 and I9 are folded around rods 40 and 42 at 46 and 42', respectively, so that the arms are firmly attached to the rods. As will be apparent from Figure 6, the heads 44 of the rods slide on the outside, and the ends of the arms I8 and I9 slide on the inside, of the slots in top and bottom standing edges 32 and 34 of supporting channel 24, preventing any appreciable vertical play of the rods.

The arms I8 and it are attached near their outer ends to bar element ID by way of pin hinges 4B and 48, respectively. These hinges may be attached to the arms and the bar by any suitable means, such as by riveting or spot welding, the latter being preferred. An alternative hinge construction is shown in Figures 8 and 9 and discussed below. An important feature of the rack construction is found in the extreme outer ends 50 and 52 of arms l8 and I9, respectively, which ends are bent outward at right angles to the arms so that when the rack is open the bent ends bear against the inner surface of bar Ill and thus hold therack perfectly rigid. On the other hand, these ends are sufficiently short that they barely touch, or avoid touching, the back part 28 of base 24 when the rack is in folded position, as will be seen in Figure 4:.

Operation of the rack may be understood by referring to Figures l and together. As shown in Figure 4, when closed pins it and 42 and the inner ends of arms is and I9 are at the ends of slots 36 and 38 nearest the center of the rack. Arms is and I9 lie parallel to the wall and within base channel 24, and surrounding all as a cover is the channel-shaped bar element which fits snugly'around the slightly smaller channel 24. The cover I0 is held firmly in place by snap action of dimples 54, raised on its upper and lower surfaces, over the rod ends 44. To open the rack, bar element It is pulled away from the wall andthe rods 40 and 42 carrying the inner ends of arms I8 and iii are slid to the outer ends of the slots 36 and 38, respectively.

These rods 40 and 42, Or rather the ends 40' and 42 of the arms which are bent around them, are locked in place by being forced into the extreme positions in the ends of the slots over friction catches 56 and 58, respectively, which may take the form of dimples raised in the back portion 28 of base 24. The cooperative action of friction catches 55 and 58 holding the arms at the ends of the slots, and bent ends 56 and 52 of the arms bearing against bar Hi, serves to maintain the rack rigidly in the open position.

Closing is readily effected by the opposite operation of forcing the inner ends of the arms across the friction catches 56 and 58 toward the center of the rack, and pressing bar l0 toward the wall until it snaps into closed position.

A preferred form of frictioin catch is shown in Figure 7, in which a spring-action metal tongue 59 is cut or stamped out of the back part 28 of base 24. This tongue takes the place of dimple or dimples 58 shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, and is bent so that as the rack is moved into open position the rod 42 having the end of arm I9 wrapped around it slides over the tongue and finally snaps into tight engagement with the end of the tongue. This end is curved inward toward the base 28 sufficiently, however, to allow the rod 42 to be easily forced over it when closing the rack. A similar but oppositely disposed tongue is substituted for dimple 56. A single friction catch is adequate for each arm, as shown by element 58 in Figure 6, although a plurality may of course be used.

Figures 8 and 9 show a preferred hinge construction for the outer ends of arms i8 and I9. Rather than using a complete pin-hinge as shown in Figures 4 and 5, a part of each hinge is preferably formed from the end of the arm itself. Thus, the outer end of arm I9 is divided by two longitudinal cuts into three parallel portions, two of which, 5| and 55, are wrapped inwardly around the hinge pin (not shown) while the middle one 53 is bent outwardly at a right angle to perform the function of end 52 (Figure 5) by bearing against bar element 10 when the rack is in open position. The end of arm I8 is similarly formed to provide part of the hinge 46. Ordinarily a separate piece of metal is used for the other part of each hinge for attachment to channel [0, since striking a tongue or the like out of its front surface for use in forming the remainder of the hinge would detract from the appearance. Alternatively, the hinge pins may be extended through holes in the upper and lower standing edges of channel it and provided with enlarged heads such as pins 40 and 42, though again this detracts from the appearance of the simple outer surfaces of the towel bar. 7

The channel making up base 24 is preferably longer than the channel which constitutes the rack element Hl, so that its ends extend sufiifasten the base 24 to the wall, it is preferred that they be sheet metal screws or bolts which engagein tapped dimples 29 raised in the back 28 of base 24. Rather than being a plane surface, the lower part of back 28 of base 24 may be partly offset away from the Wall so that it will fit over.

the top edge of a wall-board or linoleum Wainscot and hold it on the wall while the upper part of 28' will fit against the wall itself. In such case the trim itself is usually made up of an onset-type;

base to which is attached an outer decorative strip V l 'I'h-e rackor bar element lflf maygbeany convex form, so long as it provides an enclosure for the. balance of the mechanism when closed; for that matter, the invention broadly contemplates anyform of towel supporting bar to be'carried by the arms, suchrasial simpl'estrip without the enclosing sides although this is much less. preferred. I The bar It), though usually made of thesame'm'etal as the'rest of the rack} may be fabricated from synthetic resins or other'plastic material, wood, etc., in order to correspond with the trim l2 or otherwise harmonize with any decorative scheme. To this end a continuous decorative design or shape of any kind may the two sides of the channel extending horizonto said base in closed position and parallel to I and spaced from saidbase in open position, a pair of rack-supporting arms hinged to said rack member one near each end and each arm at its inner end being slidably attached to said base so that the inner ends of said arm slide toward each other when said rack member is pushed toward said base and away from each other when same is pulled away from said base, each arm not exceeding one-half the length of said rack and their inner ends sliding within opposite halves of said base whereby when said rack is closed the arms lie between and parallel to said rack and base, catches, for positioning the inner ends of said arms on said base in open I position .at a distance from each other equal to their distance on said rack member so that the arms are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the base and rack, and means for preventing angular motion between arms and rack when in open position.

2. A folding rack for towels and like articles which comprises an elongated channel-shaped base adapted for horizontal attachment to a wall r with the standing edges perpendicular to and extending out from said wall, each standing edge having two slots in line running lengthwise therein, the slots in the lower standing-edge be ing disposed exactly opposite the correspond-' ing slots in. the upper edge, two rack-supporting arms each having its inner end sliding within a set of said slots and being of about the same length as said slots, an elongated rack element hingedly attached to the outer ends of said arms at a distance equal to the distance between the outer ends of slots in said base and so that neither arm can make an angle of more than 90 with said rack, catches for holding the arms at the outer ends of the slots and parallel to each other when the rack is opened by pulling the rack element away from the base but allowing release of the arms when the rackis closed so that the inner arm ends will slide toward the inner ends of the slots and allow the rack element to be moved close to the base to be parallel to the base and the arms, and catches for holding the rack in closed position.

3. An improved Wainscot trim adapted for installation on -a-wal1 to hold "a iwainscot 1 material to the. wall and having ,as-anintegral part-thereaof a folding towel'rack which aids the:.:holding of the Wainscot to: thewalland in its closed'position acts as-a continuation of the trim, which comprises a horizontal trim. strip, a horizontal base strip-betweengtwo pieces of said strip, means for-fasteningsaidbase strip and two "pieces of trim strip to a wall along the top edge of. a sheet of .wainscot'material ,to .hold same to the wall, said. base strip being slightly. narrower than the trimstrip, agpair ofiarmsghavingrtheir inner ends slidably-attached tolsaid base strip, an

outer, rack element comprising a channelof'the same width as said trim strip and of az'length of ,thezsameorder as said'base strip and having tally inward toward the wall, hinges attached near the ends of said rack element with each hinge also attached ,to the outer end of one of said arms, the hinge attachments being such as to allow any angle of 90 "or less butno greater between each arm and the rack, catches to prevent the inner ends of said arms from sliding farther apart on said base strip thanthe'distance of said hinges on the rack and for holding said arms at their maximum'distance apart so that the rack when opened is rigidly parallel to the base strip, and means permitting said inner ends of said arms to slide toward each other said rack element is pushed toward said base strip so that onpushing same against the wall the arms lie flat between the base and the rack element and the latter completely surrounds the arms and base strip and forms a continuation of the two pieces of trim strip;

4. A Wainscot trim and rack according to claim 3 in which said base strip is longer than said rack chan'nel'element and is fastened to the wall 5. A folding rack which comprises an elongated sheet metalchannel base adapted for attachment to a wall and having a fiat back portion and two narrow horizontal sides or flange portions integral therewith protruding from the wallabove and below the said back portion, each said flange portion containing a pair of correspondingly located guide slots symmetrically positioned in the .right and left part and running lengthwise oi. said flange portion, an elongated article-supporting-channel bar made similarly to said base channel without said slots but oppositely positioned and sufliciently wider so that its sides or flange portions are adapted to fit over the flange portions' of said base and enclose same, a pair of sheet metal supporting arms hinged near the outer ends of said bar and having ends bent at a right angle to engage the inner surface of said bar when perpendicular thereto, a pair of pins each slidably positioned in upper and lower corresponding slots on the right and left parts respectively of said flange portions of said base and each having the inner end of one of said supporting arms attached thereto, each said arms being of about the same length as a slot whereby when closed the pins and inner ends of said arms lie in the center-most part of said slots with the arms and base enclosed by front and sides of said article-supporting channel bar and when opened the pins and inner ends of said arms lie in the 7 extremities of said slots and said-bar is supborted by said arms parallel to and at a distancefrom said. base.

6.' A rack according to claim 5 in which a. protuberance is struck from the flat back portion of said base near the outer end of each set of slots so that the pin and arm end must be forced over it on opening the rack whereby it holds same from sliding in the slots. 7. A rack according to claim 6 in which said protuberance is a tongue, having its. end pointing 7 toward the outerend of the slots and curved toward said base sufliciently to allow the pin and arm end to be forced back across it on closing the rack.

. GORDON H. SEVERIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 472,665 97,480

Name Date Herman Oct. 5, 1897 Srodulski July 15, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Aug. 13, 1914 Sweden Sept. 28, 1939 

